International students attending UL could inject €15m into mid-west economy this year

This year, more than 2,200 overseas students are set to study at the University of Limerick (UL) and according to new figures from Education in Ireland, their potential spend could be worth €15m to the mid-west region.

The figures from Educationireland.ie are based on spending estimates of the 2,200 students that will be at UL this year. Apparently it is the largest number of overseas students to attend the university in its 40-year history.

Josephine Page, who heads up UL’s international education division, said that the €15m figure is based on student spending estimates of between €7,000 and €12,000 in one year. She said that the overall amount does not include tuition fees paid to the university.

Page said that the economic benefit will be spread across the mid-west, with many international students visiting attractions in Clare, Galway, Kerry and Cork at the weekends.

“Many students have parents and friends who will also come and visit, so the real value of such students visiting may be as high as €20m,” she said.

Of the international students who will be at UL this year, the university said that almost 500 students hail from Europe on European exchanges. An additional 1,056 students have come to UL to study a full degree programme, either at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

Meanwhile, 150 students are on exchange programmes from non-EU countries and 500 are visiting students from the US or Japan.